Rotatable swing bar

ABSTRACT

An exercise and amusement device to swing a user in a circular path about a preselected tilted upright axis wherein the device consists essentially of a bar formed to define two sections, one at an angle to the other, rotatably mounted on the ground or other base. A container, or ground cavity, surrounds the lower section of the device to carry therein a dry, non-fluid, granular material in contact with at least a portion of the lower section of the bar. Such material provides frictional drag against rotation of the bar, thus providing constraint and variety to circular movement experienced by the user.

United States Patent [191 Hanson et al.

[451 Sept. 24, 1974 1 1 ROTATABLE SWING BAR [22] Filed: Feb. 2, 1973 [21] Appl. No.: 328,895

[52] U.S. Cl. 272/33 R, 272/51, 272/60 R [51] Int. Cl A63g 1/20 [58] Field of Search 272/33 R, 33 A, 33 B, 51, 272/50, 24, 60, 57 R, 39, 40, l R, 1 B, 32, 59

R, 55 R, 55 A, 72, DlG. 3, DIG. 4, 79 C, 79

D, 41, 29, 28 R, 28 S; D34/5 G, 5 H

3,481,599 12/1969 Johnson 272/33 R 3,726,521 4/1973 Sidlauskas 272/41 FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS 430,714 6/1935 Great Britain 272/51 661,680 6/1938 Germany 272/72 Primary ExaminerAnton O. Oechsle Assistant Examiner-Amold W. Kramer Attorney, Agent, or Firm-Warren, Rubin & Chickering [5 7] ABSTRACT An exercise and amusement device to swing a user in a circular path about a preselected tilted upright axis wherein the device consists essentially of a bar formed to define two sections, one at an angle to the other, rotatably mounted on the ground or other base. A container, or ground cavity, surrounds the'lower section of the device to carry therein a dry, non-fluid, granular material in contact with at least a portion of the lower section of the bar. Such material provides frictional drag against rotation of the bar, thus providing constraint and variety to circular movement experienced by the user.

6 Claims, 2 Drawing Figures ROTATABLE SWING BAR This invention relates to exercise and amusement devices sometimes referred to as swing bars or the like; and more specifically to such a device comprising two elongate sections whose longitudinal axes are at an angle to each other and rotatably mounted on a fixed base.

Exercise devices which also provide an element of amusement and exhilaration to the user have long been sought and a number developed, particularly those utilizing an array of bars or the like to provide the user physical challenge as well as entertainment. A number of devices are known which utilize essentially a single bar or pole from which the exerciser may gyrate, but most of these with which we are familiar involve relatively complex mechanical arrangements which tend to be costly, susceptible to outdoor exposure, and in some ways hazardous to the users thereof.

Typical prior art devices with which we are familiar are exemplified by the following US. Pat.:

No. 1,669,063, patented May 8, 1928, to W. C. Mills; No. 2,186,543, patented Jan. 9, 1940, to E. G. Henry; No. 2,551,267, patented May 1, 1951, to A. F. Hegewald; No. 1,916,809, patented July 4, 1933, to .1. F. Patterson; No. 1,607,617, Nov. 23, 1926, to B. D. Haeussler; No. 2,548,228, patented Apr. 10, 1951, to D. C. McCray; No. 2,594,625, patented Apr. 29, 1952, to B. Dunkelman.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a swing bar device comprised primarily of a single bar shaped to form two sections thereof with the longitudinal axes at an angle to each other, the entire unit being rotatably mounted so that the unit swings about a tilted upright axis, whereupon a user manually engaging the free end of the swing bar may propel himself through a circular path with varying velocity and elevation above the base of the unit.

Another object of our invention is to provide a swing b'ar rotatably mounted upon a lower section thereof which in turn is immersed preferably in a dry, granular, non-fluid material, thereby to provide additional frictional drag to the assembly and cause the circular motion experienced by the exerciser to be varied and constrained, particularly at the nadir of the users swing on the bar when such constraint is desirable for safety and physical challenge.

A feature and an advantage of our invention in a preferred embodiment thereof is that, aside from flexing, the device entails but a single moving part, the swing bar itself, which results in an extraordinarily economic and safe arrangement that can be easily installed quickly most anywhere and with a minimum of tools.

Another object of our invention in an alternative embodiment thereof is to provide a swing bar mounted in a granular, non-fluid material for constraint of rotatable movement thereof, wherein the degree of restraint may be adjusted by the user even while in motion.

Numerous other objects, features, and advantages of our invention will become apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art upon a reading of the specification which follows and with reference to the accompanying drawing wherein at FIG. 1 we show a side elevation, partly in section, of the device embodying our invention; and FIG. 2 is a similar such view of an alternative embodiment thereof.

Turning now to the drawing at FIG. 1 we show an exercise and amusement device at 12 generally embracing our invention consisting of a bar at 14 formed to have a first elongate section 16 and a second section 18 whose longitudinal axes, 20 and 22, respectively, define angle 24 therebetween. At its terminus, first section 16 forms free end 26 of the bar and is designed for manual engagement by a user of the device-typically as outlined at 28.

Second section 18 terminates at base end 30 and in the embodiment shown is merely the open end of the pipe material used in the version of my invention shown. Open end 30 slips over and is cooperatively received onto mounting stake 32 provided with flange 34, so that while section 18 may freely rotate thereabout, the entire swing bar is held in place on mounting stake 32. The stake itself is provided with lower section 32a which may be pounded firmly into ground G at an angle 36 from the vertical, thus to provide a preselected tilted upright axis 38 about which the entire swing bar assem-- bly rotates.

We have found that tiltangle 36 provides satisfactory results if adjusted to a value of about to and when angle 24 defined by the longitudinal axes of sections 16 and 18 is adjusted to a value of about to 40. Moreover the selection of these angles, or their approximate equivalents, locates the bar in the position represented by the dashed lines at 14 of FIG. 1, thereby placing section 16 in a relatively stable and nearly vertical position, so that a user may ascend the bar to reach the free end and commence swinging.

As can be seen from the arrangement of FIG. 1, longitudinal axis 22 of the bars lower or second section 18 is parallel and in part colinear with upright axis 38, thereby to dispose upper or first section 16 radially outwardly from axis 38. In actual use as indicated before, a user grasps the free end, which we show merely as an L-shaped extension having a diameter of comfortable grip to a user, and swings himself about through circular path 40 which may entail returning to the starting position, depending on the strength, size and skill of the user, as indicated by the dotted outline of the bar at 14' and the user as 28'. As described above, the user will climb onto the device initially when it is in the position designated by dashed line 14, so as to be able to commence swinging through that portion of the circular path wherein movement is assisted by gravitational action. Due to the tilt of upright axis 38, the entire circular path 40 is undulant thereabout, and the user may swing in a pendular to and fro movement; or, as indicated above, throughout an entire circular path.

A further aspect of our invention is to provide a certain degree of restraint to the otherwise relatively free rotational movement of the swing bar. Such restraint is achieved by providing a dry, non-fluid material 42 surrounding and in contact'with at least a portion of lower bar section 18. While we prefer to use ordinary sand for such material, a wide variety of dry granular materials held by container 44 of any suitable material; or the entire device may be installed in a recessed and sunken cavity, such as a hole dug in the ground or a recess formed in flooring. In the case of a floor base mounting stake 32 may be provided at its base end with a floor mountable flange for bolting thereto (not shown) in lieu of the outdoor stake arrangement shown.

A further refinement to our invention which we find preferable is to shape lower section 18 to form two parallel continuous portions, one offset from the other by the offset distance 46 established by the relatively short transition section 48. An advantage which arises from this aspect of my invention is that by adjusting the level of damping material 42 from the solid line position shown in FIG. 1 to the higher elevation shown by the dashed line, the amount of damping imposed on the system may be substantially increased. This effect is further enhanced by particular selection of pipe or bar stock from which the bar 14 is fabricated. That is by selecting such pipe or bar stock to a diameter just sufficient to safely support the user in swinging action about upright axis 38, acertain degree of flexing of the bar is achieved. This results in increased dipping into the damping material, particularly when the user is at the nadir of his swing, reaching maximum velocity, and slow down may be desirable both from a standpoint of safety and challenge to the user.

Another advantage to the arrangement we show in FIG. 1 of the swing bar is that of safety. By having the bar first extend axially from mounting stake 32, instead forming an angle with the stake initially, greater clearance is achieved between the bottom rotation portion 18b of the bar and the edge of material container 44 than would otherwise occur. In this way accidental crushing of a child or other inadvertent intruder around the base of the device is minimized.

When a device embracing our invention replaces the relatively heavy pipelike bar with a more flexible, smaller diameter, stock material, such as a solid steel bar, as mentioned hereinabove, base end 30 is constructed with a closed end welded to the base end of the bar. In such version of our invention we enjoy the advantage of a certain amount of bending or flexing as the user gyrates through the circular path 40; and then by adjusting the level of damping material to the solid line level of FIG. l,'additional frictional drag is employed only when the user rotates about to the lowermost position of the circular path, a point at which additional damping of accelerated movement may be desirable. Moreover, flexing of the bar at the bottom of the travel arc may enable the user to contact the ground and assist by pushing as well as swinging, to propel the system again to the high point of its circular movement.

It should be noted that our device may easily be adapted to accommodate more than one user, merely by appending at the free end of the bar a T-shaped handle on which at least two users may be engaged.

An alternative version of our invention wherein we obtain the added advantage of being able to controlla- I bly vary the amount of drag imposed by the damping material about the base thereof is illustrated at FIG. 2..

mounted near the free end of section 16 by means of bracket 58. Lever 56 in turn, when depressed or raised in the direction of arrows 60, 62, respectively, actuates lever rod 64 in the direction of arrows 66, 68, thereby to raise and lower plate 50 into and out of damping material 42 thereby to vary the degree of damping that the user experiences during the course of movement through path 40, as indicated at FIG. 1.

We claim:

1. An exercise and amusement device to swing the user thereof through a circular path about a preselected tilted upright axis comprising:

a bar formed to have a first and a second section with the longitudinal axes thereof at an angle to each other, said first section terminus forming the free end of said bar designed for engagement by a user of said device, and said second section terminus forming the base end of said bar remote from said free end;

means for mounting said bar at the place of use of said device, said means to rotatably carry said base end with an axis of said second section in alignment with said tilted upright axis, said first section thereby extending radially outwardly therefrom:

damping means surrounding at least a portion of said second section to provide frictional drag thereon during rotation of the section about said tilted axis, said damping means comprising a dry, non-fluid, granular material located to surround and contact at least a portion of said second section of the bar; and

means to receive and hold said material proximate said second section,

whereby, upon engagement of the free end of the bar, a user may swing in an undulant circular path about said tilted upright axis.

2. The device in accordance with claim 1 and wherein further said second section is shaped to form two parallel continuous portions, one offset from the other.

3. The device of claim 2 further characterized in that the swing of the user through such circular path is constrained, and wherein further:

damping means surrounding at least a portion of said second section to provide frictional drag thereon during rotation of the section about said tilted axis.

4. The device as further characterized and defined in claim 3 and wherein said damping means comprises: A DRY, NON-fluid, granular material located to surround and contact at least a portion of said second section of the bar; and means to receive and hold said material proximate said second section.

5. The device as further characterized and defined in claim 4 and wherein said dry, non-fluid, granular mate rial is provided in an amount sufficient to cause the upper surface level thereof to be above the elevation of the offset between said two parallel continuous portions throughout at least a portion of the swing path thereof when said device is in use, whereby the degree of constraint imposed by the frictional drag between said second section of the bar and said material during rotation of the section about said tilted axis is substantially increased.

6. The device of claim 5 further characterized in that the swing of the user through such circular path may be variably constrained, and wherein further:

plate means secured to said bar proximate said second section for immersion into and removal from said dry, non-fluid, granular material, and means connected to said plate means and maneuverable whereby the amount of frictional drag caused by by a user of said device during use thereof to cause said granular material in respect thereto the moveimmersion of said plate means into and removal ment of said bar may e varied.

from said dry, non-fluid, granular material,

UEQEED STATES PAIFNT OFFICE CERTEFECATE OF CORRECTION 3,837,641 September 24 1974 CLARENCE A. HANSON, et al. IP61? i 11 02;; :n he asnve---:dsaalfied patent mu hat 52:0 Letter?- Pate!!! ale hen-if {waxed as shown neaw 1 Column 1, line 26, after "1,607,617" insert patented-; and

Column 6, line 3, change "e" to --b Signed and Scaled this twenty-second Day Of July 1975 [SEAL] Attest:

RUTH C. MASON C. MARSHALL DANN Arresting Officer Commissioner of Patents and Trademarks 

1. An exercise and amusement device to swing the user thereof through a circular path about a preselected tilted upright axis comprising: a bar formed to have a first and a second section with the longitudinal axes thereof at an angle to each other, said first section terminus forming the free end of said bar designed for engagement by a user of said device, and said second section terminus forming the base end of said bar remote from said free end; means for mounting said bar at the place of use of said device, said means to rotatably carry said base end with an axis of said second section in alignment with said tilted upright axis, said first section thereby extending radially outwardly therefrom: damping means surrounding at least a portion of said second section to provide frictional drag thereon during rotation of the section about said tilted axis, said damping means comprising a dry, non-fluid, granular material located to surround and contact at least a portion of said second section of the bar; and means to receive and hold said material proximate said second section, whereby, upon engagement of the free end of the bar, a user may swing in an undulant circular path about said tilted upright axis.
 2. The device in accordance with claim 1 and wherein further said second section is shaped to form two parallel continuous portions, one offset from the other.
 3. The device of claim 2 further characterized in that the swing of the user through such circular path is constrained, and wherein further: damping means surrounding at least a portion of said second section to provide frictional drag thereon during rotation of the section about said tilted axis.
 4. The device as further characterized and defined in claim 3 and wherein said damping means comprises: A DRY, NON-fluid, granular material located to surround and contact at least a portion of said second section of the bar; and means to receive and hold said material proximate said second section.
 5. The device as further characterized and defined in claim 4 and wherein said dry, non-fluid, granular material is provided in an amount sufficient to cause the upper surface level thereof to be above the elevation of the offset between said two parallel continuous portions throughout at least a portion of the swing path thereof when said device is in use, whereby the degree of constraint imposed by the frictional drag between said second section of the bar and said material during rotation of the section about said tilted axis is substantially increased.
 6. The device of claim 5 further characterized in that the swing of the user through such circular path may be variably constrained, and wherein further: plate means secured to said bar proximate said second section for immersion into and removal from said dry, non-fluid, granular material, and means connected to said plate means and maneuverable by a user of said device during use thereof to cause immersion of said plate means into and removal from said dry, non-fluid, granular material, whereby the amount of frictional drag caused by said granular material in respect thereto the movement of said bar may e varied. 